


gelid

by timeinthetardis



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Frozen (2013) References, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 17:28:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1656566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeinthetardis/pseuds/timeinthetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An encounter with Elsa leaves Emma and Killian feeling rather chilly towards the young queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	gelid

**Author's Note:**

> gel·id  
> \ˈje-ləd\  
> adjective  
> icy; extremely cold.

“Swan, get back here,” Killian calls, trying to pull his lady love back to safer quarters behind Regina's magical shield. Emma glances back at him and shakes her head, setting loose a flurry of snowflakes as they depart the shelter of her hair.

“She's not trying to hurt us, she's trying to control it, can't you see that?” she says, gesturing towards the girl standing at the center point of the storm. “We need to help her.”

“Aye, and we will, once we can trust her not to accidentally hurt us,” Killian promises, moving to the edge of the shield and wincing as ice whips against his face. 

“I'm not leaving her out here,” Emma insists, and Killian hears Regina's frustrated groan even over the howling wind.

“I'm sure she'll appreciate the sentiment, but it's her storm. I think she'll survive,” Regina calls, gloved fingers twitching in the air with the effort of maintaining the shield.

Emma ignores both of them, turning to hike towards the girl, and Killian curses under his breath. “Bloody-minded stubborn woman,” he mutters, exchanging a look with David before striking out after Emma's rapidly shrinking form.

He sees her stop halfway across the frozen field, waving at the girl, and he curses again, pushing onward at a faster pace. 

“-can help you!” he hears Emma yell as he approaches, kicking his way through the snow to get to her. 

“Stay back!” The girl screams, tearing at her own hair. “I'm dangerous, I'll hurt you!”

“I promise, we can help you, just let me-” Emma starts forward, and the girl flings her hands up defensively. 

A flash of bright blue magic bursts from her, slamming squarely into Emma's chest. She stumbles back, eyes wide as she presses a hand against the spot, and her legs go out from under her. Killian rushes to her and she crashes against him, her back to his chest, and he's back on the deck of the Jolly Roger with Milah's body in his arms and the Dark One's laugh in his ears as she struggles for breath and clutches at him and no, no, _no_ -

He comes back to the present with a gasp, cradling Emma against him as he sinks to the ground. She coughs, gazing up at him with hazy eyes. “Should've listened to you, huh?” 

“Shhh, none of that, Swan,” he says desperately, pressing his hand to her cheek and hissing at the stinging cold of it against his palm. “Stay with me, love.”

“I'm sorry, Killian,” she whispers, and he watches in horror as streaks of white shoot through her golden hair, pale against her even paler face. “I love you, I'm sorry, Ki-”

“Don't leave me here, Swan.” He grits it out, eyes burning as he rocks her against him. “I'm not letting you go, not now.”

“I would- despair- if you did,” she pants, a ghost of a smile crossing her lips. 

“Emma,” he whispers, her name pouring out of his mouth over and over like the most sacred of prayers. He's vaguely aware of the arrival of the rest of the group at their side, of Snow collapsing across from him and David reaching for Emma's hand, of the sharp tang of magic in the air as Regina casts another shield around all of them, but he refuses to look away. Emma's smile fades and her eyes lose their focus, drifting closed as snowflakes settle on her lashes. Pain twists in Killian's chest, agonizing and nauseating as he stares down at her blank face.

“We've got to take her to Rumplestiltskin,” Regina says, breaking through his haze, and he turns to glare up at her. “He might know what hit her, and if we can fix it.”

“ _How_ ,” he growls, arranging Emma against him with a gentleness that seems jarring in combination with the thunderous expression on his face.

“What?”

“Not _if_ we can fix it. _How_.” He gets to his feet, careful not to jostle the woman in his arms as he meets David's anguished gaze. “And once we do, I'm going to find a way to melt that ice bitch myself.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to stay updated on my writing (or join the fun of constant CS blogging), please feel free to check out my [tumblr](http://in-each-place-and-forever.tumblr.com/) and/or my [writing tumblr](http://distinct-elements-of-speech.tumblr.com/).


End file.
